Sesame Teriyaki Chicken with Miso Udon

After a simply exhausting week with work and blogging, then a somewhat rowdy night with the girls on Friday night, I was dearly craving some me-time alone, and was grateful that The Sister was out of the house on date night on Saturday evening.

I’ve been eating out a little more often than I would like. A lot of my friends now know about my blog and are eager to visit restaurants with me, and while I’m thrilled to enjoy their good company and many laughs over the course of the evening, I do find that it’s difficult to always select the healthiest options when one is dining out regularly.

I wanted a somewhat healthy meal for Saturday night and with my new, beautiful set of French Sabatier knives, I was very excited to put them to good use!

This recipe is one I turn to when I’m craving a bowl of hot soup and need some protein at the same time. I’ll sometimes replace the chicken breast fillet with thigh or salmon fillet if I have it on hand, but otherwise the rest of the recipe I keep to. I’ve modified the recipe so it serves two, instead of one lonely hermit.

You will need:

200g chicken breast fillets;

1 tablespoon regular soy sauce;

1 tablespoon mirin;

1 tablespoon sake;

1 teaspoon caster sugar;

2 tablespoons sesame seeds;

2 teaspoons of olive oil;

One packet Japanese vacuum sealed udon noodles;

3 tablespoons of white miso paste;

Half a bunch of Chinese vegetables;

Half a spring onion, sliced finely.

Toast your sesame seeds under a grill or in a clean, dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden brown. Watch them carefully, as they do have a tendency to burn very quickly.

Combine the soy, mirin and sake in a medium frying pan until warm, then remove from the heat and stir in the caster sugar until dissolved. Pour the teriyaki glaze into a small bowl and place to one side.

Boil two cups of water in a saucepan and when it comes to the boil, add the miso paste and stir until dissolved.

While the water is still tumbling, tear open the packet of udon noodles and tumble them into the miso soup. The noodles will gradually fall apart from one another with the heat, but do give it a swish with your cooking implement of choice to break them up a little. Cook according to the time instructions, and do taste them as you go.

Heat the frying pan over a medium heat and add the two teaspoons of olive oil. Place the chicken fillets into the frying pan, and brush one side with half of the teriyaki glaze.

After about three minutes, turn it over and brush the other side with the other half of the glaze. Cook for a further minute or two, depending on the thickness of your fillets. When the chicken is done, remove the frying pan from the heat and scatter the toasted sesame seeds over the chicken.

Just as your noodles are done, plunge in half a bunch of washed and chopped Chinese vegetables of your choice into the hot soup and turn off the heat. I usually use Chinese broccoli (gai lan), but having not been to the shops recently, I settled for some sweet potato leaves I harvested from the vege patch in my backyard.

Spoon the soup, noodles and vegetables into two bowls (Or, if you’re eating alone, as I often do, I just eat it straight out of the saucepan because no one is watching and I really don’t give a damn. It’s also less to wash up! ). Scatter with the sliced spring onions, then slice the chicken and place it on top of the noodle soup.

I can guarantee you will feel positively holy after eating this. That is, if you don’t have dessert later in the form of two sinful Snickers and Peanut Butter muffins. You’ll get the recipe for that later this week 😉

Welcome!

I'm Cath at Confessions of a Glutton. I'm a cheesecake-devouring, sushi-craving, ramen-obsessed, salted-caramel-lover who is also a dance fitness instructor and a solicitor, living in the Northern Suburbs of the glorious city that is Sydney, Australia. These are my ramblings.